News of the Western Belize Recreational Area, about 500 square miles of waterfalls, caves, Mayan ruins and pyramids, Belize Alps, foothills, ranches and farms, tourist accomodations of all types and description, tours and expeditions for vacationers and visitors. Even a small growing expatriate retirement group of people from different countries. In Belize, this is where it is happening, all the things that are fun and even serious, with a climate of ETERNAL SPRING.

Monday, February 27, 2012

BELIZE POULTRY ASSOCIATION INCENSED THAT GOVERNMENT BUREAUCRATS ALLOWED ILLEGAL CHICKENS TO BE IMPORTED FROM NEAR A DANGEROUS AVIAN DISEASE AREA OF MEXICO. THE QUESTION IS NOW: WHO WILL LOSE THEIR JOB, OR GO TO COURT AND JAIL? IF YOU DONT HAVE A DETERRENT, NOTHING WILL BE CORRECTED.

There is a report tonight that a license has been issued for the importation of a huge amount of poultry. It has the Belize Poultry Association up in arms because of the health risks involved in the importation of the poultry from Mexico. The license was issued by the Belize Agricultural Health Authority to a producer in Shipyard, Orange Walk. But according to BPA chairman, Jake Rempel, ten thousand broiler chicks were imported from Mexico, without proper inspection and risk analysis. Rempel says that is a major concern since Mexico has several prevalent poultry diseases, including different strains of Newcastle disease. The BPA feels that BAHA has undermined its investments in poultry disease surveillance as well as a memorandum of understanding signed between the two bodies for collaborative work.

Via Phone: Jake Rempel, Chairman, Belize Poultry Association

“To our understanding it hasn’t gone the correct way because the guys from BAHA, which would do the inspections weren’t informed about it. As far as we can see, it was illegally done and the surveillance program, which usually is mandatory wasn’t done and that is our concern. Our main concern is disease; it’s not a big issue that ten thousand chickens were imported, the issue is… were they clean? The BPA would think that Mexico wouldn’t be a clean country disease-wise where they come from and I couldn’t give you the names of all the diseases but including avian influenza, which Mexico does have and it came as far as Campeche, which is close to where these chickens came from. So that would be our main issue where we would be afraid of disease-wise. The BPA has been fighting diseases in Belize; we have our own diseases which we are fighting which the BPA is spending a lot of money on. We’re also financing the BAHA group in certain areas where they help us with containing diseases and also doing surveillance to find out what we do have and where are clean so that we can stay clean. That’s our main concern, disease, and it shouldn’t have happened like that overnight. We had a meeting with BAHA to see how many permits they did give and we were informed by BAHA that they only gave one permit for twenty thousand chicks but the importer hadn’t gotten the twenty, he only got ten. But that permit is expired if he imports, whatever he does import that expires the permit and BAHA didn’t give him another one. We have the understanding that he has asked for two, but BAHA only gave him one. We had a meeting with BAHA and we hope this isn’t gonna happen again because we are trying to keep our country free of disease and calling our products clean whereas we couldn’t do that when it’s imported.”

Delahnie Bain

“This importation, are we under producing? Why was it necessary?”

Via Phone: Jake Rempel

“Yeah, I wouldn’t want to talk too much on the television about this but we have some diseases in country which can be controlled with vaccinations and so on. He claims that he got some of those and he wasn’t happy, he was looking for a better way of chickens. The way see it, it’s a much bigger risk where he got it from than from here. The only reason we can come up with is that he thought he would try something better.”

Delahnie Bain

“Okay, so it’s just one company that wanted this import.”

Via Phone: Jake Rempel

“That’s right.”

The BPA has also met with the mayors of Shipyard, Spanish Lookout and Blue Creek to discuss the importation and prevention of a repeat.

GUATEMALA SCOFFS AT USA CLAIMS ABOUT DRUG WAR AND BUSINESS THAT BENEFITS THEIR ECONOMY. IN GENERAL, BELIZE SUPPORTS THE GUATEMALAN VIEW OF THE DRUG WAR.

Guatemala Times:

MONDAY, 27 FEBRUARY 2012 17:28 BARBARA SCHIEBER

Guatemala City

Janet Napolitano said in Mexico at a pres conference today: It took us 10 years to find (al Qaeda chief) Osama bin Laden and we found him, and you know what happened there, Joaquin Shorty Guzman, Mexico's most wanted man, escaped from prison in 2001. Napolitano said U.S. and Mexican agents continue to search for him. She also implies that the war on drug is doing very well. She said: I would not agree with the premise that de drug war is a failure. It is a continuing effort to keep our peoples from becoming addicted to dangerous drugs.Drug use is at an all time high in the US, the US is also the world’s biggest consumer of illegal drugs. Where is the success there? What effort is she talking about? If anything the US is not doing the right thing to keep drugs out of the hands of users. It is easier for an adolescent to get drugs then it is to get a beer or cigarettes in the US. Something in this story or maybe better described as a fairytale of Napolitano, does not add up.We in Guatemala do not buy it.Who is Napolitano defending: The military industrial interests who earn more money with war then with peace. She defends the ever expanding private prison business that has made so many new millionaires on the US. Finally it can no longer be ignored that the US economy would collapse even faster without the mighty “narco dollar”. Napolitano is not defending our interests, our lives, our children, our future, our security our quality of life, our rights in Guatemala.Napolitano can take her fairytale and go home. Nobody in their sane minds believes a word she or the usual defenders of the drug war are saying.We have been writing about the drug war unsuccessful strategies and atrocious damages to our region and our country since we stared “The Guatemala Times” in 2008. Our position has been clear since then: Guatemala is a casualty of the failed war on drugs waged by the US and caused by the consumers of drugs in the US. The money issue, the massive power of the narco- dollar through money laundering that benefits the US and European Economies has been a taboo for the international mainstream media, it is not politically correct to write abut the dark powers of the narco –dollar within the “legal” economies of the developed world.There have been only two voices in the desert of the deafening silence of the international mainstream media about this perfect example of the hypocrisy of the developed world regarding the situation of third world countries, were people are getting killed to provide the rich countries with their needs, be they legal or illegal. There is no difference.The Guardian published an article 13, December, 2009. “Drug money saved banks in global crisis, claims UN advisor” Drugs and crime chief says $352bn in criminal proceeds was effectively laundered by financial institutions. Drugs money worth billions of dollars kept the financial system afloat at the height of the global crisis, the United Nations' drugs and crime tsar has told the Observer. Antonio Maria Costa, head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, said he has seen evidence that the proceeds of organised crime were "the only liquid investment capital" available to some banks on the brink of collapse last year. He said that a majority of the $352bn (£216bn) of drugs profits was absorbed into the economic system as a result………………

UNITED STATES : U.S. Supports Launch of Caribbean Small Business Development Centers Project

In a ceremony today at the headquarters of the Organization of American States (OAS), Ambassador Carmen Lomellin, U.S. Permanent Representative to the regional body, announced U.S. support for the launch of the Caribbean Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) expansion project, an initiative to promote the development of competitive, productive, and innovative small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Western Hemisphere.

The project will create a network of sustainable and successful small business assistance networks in Saint Lucia, Dominica, Belize, Jamaica, and Barbados. The newly created network of Caribbean small business development centers will eventually be linked with similar existing programs located throughout the United States, Mexico, Colombia, and Central America to share best practices, and to promote cooperation and support productivity and sustainable economic growth.

Ambassador Lomellin announced a U.S. grant of $960,000 to fund the launch of the initiative, underscoring that SMEs are the engine of growth in the Americas and that equipping SMESs with the tools they need to gain access to and compete in the global marketplace is a priority throughout the region.

The SBDC expansion project will be implemented in partnership with the OAS, the Caribbean Export Development Agency, and the U.S. Association of Small Business Development Centers network at the University of Texas, San Antonio. The University of Texas has worked extensively to provide the U.S. small business sector greater access to SBDC partners and to expand markets and trade opportunities throughout the Americas.

LOAD-DATE: February 25, 2012 _______________________________________EXPERIENCE TELLS US, THIS SORT OF HYPE AND PROPOGANDA IS FOR FAVORABLE PUBLICITY PURPOSES AND ANY MONIES COMING WILL BE SPENT ON ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS AND HIGH LIVING STANDARDS. NOW IF THIS WAS IMPLEMENTED BY THE PEACE CORPS IT MIGHT STAND A CHANCE? ________________________________________

***** Remember the pig project, in which $5 million dollars produced ONE PIG? _____________________________________________

THE EFFECT OF U.K. FAIR TRADE PRICES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM HAVE BEEN FAVORABLY DRAMATIC IN THE SMALL COUNTRY OF BELIZE AND ECONOMICALLY EFFECTIVE.

"40% of all sugar exports from Belize are now Fairtrade, and that's really significant to the economy of a small country"

Sales of fairly traded products have bucked the decline in the UK retail market to grow by 12% last year. The value of Fairtrade products sold through shops reached £1.32bn in 2011, compared with £1.17bn in 2010, according to figures from the Fairtrade Foundation, as it launches its annual marketing fortnight today. .

Unlike other premium sectors such as organic food, which have lost ground as consumers struggle with rising prices and stagnant incomes, the Fairtrade market has continued to expand.

The growth largely reflects a move among top supermarkets to sell Fairtrade goods at the same price as conventional equivalents. Alternatively, they have switched whole ranges to the Fairtrade sector rather than pass on the premium paid to farmers as a higher cost to consumers. All Co-op own-brand tea, coffee and sugar are now Fairtrade. The company is to make all its bananas Fairtrade, in line with Sainsbury's and Waitrose, which have already switched. All M&S tea, coffee, and bananas are now Fairtrade.

Fairtrade cocoa and sugar have seen the most significant growth, with 34% and 21% increases over 2010 respectively. Morrisons will join other retailers, including the Co-op, M&S, Waitrose, Sainsbury's and Tesco, which have committed themselves to converting all their bagged sugar to Tate & Lyle's Fairtrade range. This move will bring Fairtrade's share of the UK retail bagged sugar market to 42%, and will make sugar the biggest Fairtrade product.

The UK is the largest market for fair trade products, helped by support from trade unions, religious groups and the Fairtrade Towns campaign. The sector as a whole remains very small, however. About 0.01% of all food and drink sales worldwide are certified as fairly traded, according to the Institute of Economic Affairs, a free market thinktank. The IEA has criticised the movement for exaggerating its potential to help poorer countries.

The shift in sugar is held up by the Fairtrade Foundation as an example of how the movement can achieve a major impact. "A number of people have been sceptical about Fairtrade's ability to scale up. But in the 18 years since we started, we've hit 42% of UK retail sugar being Fairtrade.

Charlie, wife of Mr. Raggamuffin himself, Captain Jimmy Jones, will celebrate her birthday today in a more subdued fashion than normal. She is actually off the island on a well deserved break with her family in Cayo.

Charlie has been married to Jimmy for over 7 years now and together they have two children – Malik (6 years old) and Zahara (2 years old). Rarely do you see Charlie around the office now as she is busy with her children, however, she is still very much a part of the Raggamuffin Crew!!

Source: http://raggamuffintours.com/2012/02/happy-birthday-boss-lady/

Lady Charlie came to Belize from England as a very young lady. Went into business for herself, and had built several, classic, touring sailboats, for tourism along the Great Barrier Reef islands in Sarteneja and built a business on her favorite spot, the tourist island of Caye Caulker. Her business called RAGAMUFFIN TOURS does a steady business carrying tourists by large sailboats, to snorkeling stops, camping and island hopping.

There ARE better ways to live, than in fast paced cities of the industrialized world.

MEXICAN ZETA CONNECTED LOCAL BELIZEAN MAFIA, SUSPECTED IN ORGANIZING HIT ON ALLEGED SHOOTER OF PRIME MINISTER´S LAW PARTNER. RUMOR MILL HAS IT THE LOCAL MAFIA PAID FOR AND ORGANIZED THE HIT ON THE ALLEGED ASSASSIN. Lots of theories abound and this is the top theory. Needless to say, the alleged assassin, got taken out by another assassin in the drug and crime world of Belize.

PREPARATION FOR MARCH BIG WEEKEND WORLD CLASSIC RUTA MAYA CROSS COUNTRY 200 MILE, THREE DAY RACE, PUTS WINNERS CIRCLE IN FIRST PRACTICE RACE ON NOTICE. ONLY FIVE SECONDS SEPERATED THE SHORTER RACE PRE-RUTA MAYA, THE TWO MAJOR COMPETITORS.

Defending Ruta Maya champions, the Ziprider team of Jerry Rhaburn, Efrain and Felix Cruz, paddled across the finish line by the Riverside Tavern in Belize City in two hours 36 minutes and two seconds to win the Burrell Boom to Belize City canoe race organized by the Belize Canoe Association and sponsored by Guinness Stout on Saturday, February 18. The Ziprider team took home a $300 first prize and a trophy.

Their perennial rivals, the Belize Bank team of Daniel, Erwin and Amado Cruz were five seconds behind to win the $100 second prize and a trophy.

For comparison: It takes in the Twin Towns out Western Belize, about an hour to an hour and a half, to download a self teaching internet video, with slow video loading, stopping and starting in short segments. Whereas on Caye Caulker, a video can be totally downloaded from the internet in 30 seconds and viewed in a continuous streaming format. The only internet provider in Belize, is a government controlled, Belize Telecommunications Company, for Foreign Investment in the financial services industry data downloads capability. Most scenic areas in rural parts of the country, where foreign investment would construct new buildings and offices for the local ambience, to locate INVESTMENT FINANCIAL SERVICES, lack any contact to the internet, and often lack electricity besides, or other services. One internet competitor is only offering internet packets at high prices for cell phones, but not for foreign investment requirements for world wide communication with financial centers around the world.

Salvador President Funes on left.President Molina of Guatemala takes BOLD INNOVATIVE steps to fight crime.GUATEMALA GETS SUPPORT ON INTRANSIT LEGALIZATION OF DRUGS TO THE GREAT CONSUMER USA, FROM SALVADORANEAN PRESIDENT.

WHOEVER GETS TO BE PRIME MINISTER IN BELIZE OVER THE NEXT TWO WEEK ELECTION, WILL BE ASKED TO SUPPORT THE GUATEMALAN PRESIDENT´S PLAN.

Guatemalan president weighs drug legalization, blames US for not reducing consumption

GUATEMALA CITY — Guatemala’s president said this past Monday, that the U.S. inability to deal with its drug consumption problem is leaving Central America with no option but to consider legalizing drugs.

President Otto Perez Molina said he wants a consensus from his voters and other Central American countries, before going forward with the idea for the region, which has become a major transit point for U.S.-bound drugs from South America and has been overrun by organized crime and Mexican drug cartels.

Guatemala’s President Otto Pérez Molina answers a question during a joint news conference with El Salvador’s President Mauricio Funes, where they addressed issues related to regional security and how to coordinate their fight against organized crime in Guatemala City, Monday Feb. 13, 2012. Perez has blamed the drug cartels for the high levels of violence in his country of 13 million, overrun by gangs and the Mexican cartels, with a rate of 41 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, nearly three times that of neighboring Mexico.

We’re bringing the issue up for debate. Today’s meeting is intended to strengthen our methods of fighting organized crime. But if drug consumption isn’t reduced, the problem will continue,” Perez Molina said after a security meeting with El Salvador President Mauricio Funes.

Funes said he too is willing to consider drug legalization.

Perez, an ex-general who took office last month promising a crackdown on organized crime, said earlier that his proposal would include legalized consumption and transportation of drugs in Central America.

USA strongly opposes the idea.

The U.S. Embassy in Guatemala issued a statement Sunday saying that legalizing drugs wouldn’t stop transnational gangs that not only traffic drugs but also people and weapons. “The evidence shows our shared drug problem is a threat to public health and safety,” it said. XRAY scanners of trucks can eliminate illegal people carrying.

Anita Isaacs, a Guatemala expert and professor of political science at Haverford College, said that the sudden turnaround in Perez’s stance on drugs, could be “political gamesmanship” aimed at pushing the U.S. to move quicker on sending military help.

“This is kind of like a shot across the bow, saying if you don’t help us, this is what we can do,” she said from Guatemala.

Eduardo Stein, a former Guatemalan vice president and leader of Perez’s transition team, denied that was the case, saying Guatemala was overwhelmed by USA drug, consumption driven, organized crime and saw itself as left with only one option.

“It’s evident what the situation is in these countries with small economies, we can’t fight the drug traffickers and cartels with superior resources,” Stein said. “The issue of drug trafficking and consumption is not on the North American political agenda. The issue of drugs in the U.S. is very marginalized while for Guatemala and the rest of Central America it’s very central.”

Perez took office last month and said one of his top priorities of ending a long-standing U.S. ban on military aid imposed over concerns about abuses during the Central American country’s 36-year civil war.

Close advisers say he supports meeting the conditions set by various U.S. congressional appropriations acts for restoring aid that was first eliminated in 1978 halfway through the civil war, including reforming a weak justice system.

Perez has already come out in support of a U.S.- and United Nations-backed international anti-corruption team whose prosecution effort has been criticized by Guatemala’s political elite. BELIZE considers this a positive move! Belize itself, has found their government ruled by pseudo political party, mafia gangs in elections, since independence, and a distorted inherited Imperialistic colonial constitutional governing model, designed at first for exploitation by Europeans, taken over in Independence by organized local gangs, posing as political parties in a rigged election system, run by Commonwealth trained, criminal minded lawyers.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Joseph Chiang of Belize.SOCIAL MEDIA ( FACEBOOK ) discuss how BTL is still not serving the local economy for growth of GDP. There is no enabling environment?

Joseph Chiang 6:37am Feb 24Mbps with a small b is bits, MB with big B is byte...8 bits = 1 byte.They already have 1 mbps or higher, it's just very expensive. IF the BTL offer that at $30 it means I can save some money or probably go for higher speed, it also means 1mbps internet is affordable to more people.

In Chetumal, across the Northern border, they have basic internet with 4 mbps. ___________________________________________PUP ELECTION MANIFESTO PROMISES LIARD?

Wendy Auxillou 6:39am Feb 24So, when the PUP is referring to 1 meg for $30 they are selling 1 mega...bits or bytes of speed for $30?

That speed is still relatively slow... Judy McCutcheon 7:19am Feb 24That speed is still relatively slow Glenn Tillett and Wendy Auxillou.....if we are to attract investors of any worth we need to offer more. This is a vastly different world, and it's all based on technology, we need to get with the program....just saying.... __________________________________

Wendy Auxillou 7:48am Feb 24So I went to the btl site and this is what they have posted at their site here (http://www.belizetelemedia.net/residential-services2.php): "128K - $49256K - $100512K - $1791MB - $3002MB - $5004MB - $850 ___________________________________________

Val Valentino Shal, I posted... Wendy Auxillou 6:12am Feb 24Val Valentino Shal, I posted the graph above showing the internet speeds of the top 20 countries in the world and Japan is leading with a whopping 67 MBPS (67 mega bytes per second) internet speed at a cost of only US $0.27 per mb month. Second in line is South Korea with a whopping 46 mbps at a cost of only US$0.45 per mb per month. If we want to compete globally, those are the speeds we need to meet. Maybe VoIP blocking per se is not the problem ... it's the whole culture of our government keeping us backward... _________________________________________

For comparison sake, let's look at our... Wendy Auxillou 8:08am Feb 24For comparison sake, let's look at our neighbor to the North, Chetumal. Chetumal is offering cable internet at a minimum speed of 1 Mbps, the same speed that btl is charging $300 BZ or US$150 a month for, for only $12 US a month ($24 BZ). In other words, what costs BZ$24 in Chetumal is BZ$300 in Belize. U N B E L I E V A B L E ! Talk about highway robbery! OMG! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_in_Mexico) ____________________________________________

Some TECHNICAL STUFF ON THE DEBATE.

There are a few things that I would like to... Hector D Silva 11:45am Feb 24There are a few things that I would like to address and possibly clear up in this thread from a technical standpoint so let me start off with the few that I have seen.

ADSL has distance limitations due to attenuation (signal loss) depending on the age, type and gauge (thickness) of the copper in the wire and the age of the loop (system, infrastructure).

Mr. Ray Auxillou, if you were too far away from the DSLAM then you may not have been able to get a certain level of guaranteed speed due to weak signal at your location and thus they would not offer that service to you.

ADSL means Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line so the upload speeds will often be half of the download speeds and that's what it means by Asymmetric (without symmetry, or equal) because most general consumers download more than the upload, ADSL is what you normally have available.

Those wireless systems that they use in place of DSL are counted by BTL as "residential lines" I believe.

Speed is generally measured and referred to when it comes to Internet services in MegaBITS per second not MegaBYTES per second.

"The PUP will open up the information super highway and allow the use of VOIP to spur innovation and development in I.C.T. BTL will offer high speed internet 1meg for $30 per month. Call Centres will be supportive with training and infrastructure facilitation."Given that quote, I will take the mentioned price and speed addressed by the PUP as Mbps since what people refer to as "1 meg" currently is 1Mbps . I think the $30 price point is certainly more hype than reality. Not even in Barbados it is that cheap. In Barbados, its' about $60-65 dollars per month for 1Mbps and they have a larger subscriber base.

Now to VoIP

Call Centers already have access to VoIP, how else would they be conducting business in Belize? It' s just the general consumer that doesn't have easy access to VoIP. (more on this later)

Introducing VoIP to Belize after a quite substantial period of it being blocked can not be compared to a country that has never had it blocked. You have to compare it to somewhere that has had a similar history.

VoIP is available in several forms: in programs/service such as Skype, Yahoo Messenger and phone replacement/compliment services such as Vonage and Magicjack.

Given the very small subscriber base and the amount of people that would be able to use a service like Magicjack, instead of someone calling your Belize Number, you would just get a call on the person's Magicjack number and then BTL won't get any revenue from it except for your Internet charges, which are flat. This would be for both oversees and local. If Mary has Magicjack in Corozal and Jim has Magicjack in Cayo, and you are at home, why would Mary pick up her BTL landline and call Jim when she has a Magicjack line that she has that she knows Jim has as well and she could have an unmetered conversation. And if under the PUP's plan of reducing rates to $30 for 1Mbps, that would be a STEEP reduction in revenue while BTL would have about the same costs, making it less profitable in the short term, quickly.

There are two reasons why countries normally block VoIP: the ISP is the same as the telephony provider and has control of the market and wants to keep that control of the telephony market or secondly because of privacy restrictions, UAE, China, etc. In order to have both cheap Internet and VoIP you have to have new people with speeding power to be able to become new subscribers. If most people that already need Internet access have it right now, then the revenue from Internet will tank if the price is lowered quickly and the speed is increased sharply, thus you NEED new people quickly in order to not take a hit. A balance in price and speed is surely available. I always believe that a compromise is possible.

One can open up VoIP in limited ways so as to adapt to a new reality instead of going cold turkey and shocking the ecosystem. One example would be unblocking Skype, Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, Google Talk, etc... all instant messengers and those that are typically computer to computer communication and not unblock things like Magicjack and Vonage just yet. Currently a person that really wants to use VoIP can do so but you just don't have easy access to it.

So to end this: This message is not an excuse or apologetic missive for any person, any party whatsoever, it's merely my understanding of the technicalities and how 'cold turkey' can adversely affect the market and cause some level of 'shock' to the system. I would surely want $30 Internet at 1Mbps and perhaps 4 Mbps at $100... anybody would want that given what the current prices are. Bottom line for me is that VoIP can be introduced but it has to be well thought out and not just done willy nilly.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

TELECOMMUNICATIONS CHANGES NEEDED BY ANY NEW BELIZE, ELECTED MAFIA GANG, DICTATORSHIP

1) Distributors, SMART and BTL2) WHOLESALERS none in the country as of yet, but could be with VOIP3) RETAIL sellers and promotors of special long distance International phone cards.

DEBATE ON LINE:

I just want to add here that the de-facto... Wendy Auxillou 10:37am Feb 23I just want to add here that the de-facto monopoly on telecommunications should also be lifted, allowing the public at large to compete for all facets of telecommunications. In other countries, you can go to a store and buy a phone card from one of several hundred phone card providers who buy blocks of bandwidth from wholesalers and resell it in retail as VoIP based calls. What this means is that mom and pop businesses spring up all over, empowering local communities. Caye Caulker, for example, could have its own Caye Caulker branded phone cards that tourists could buy which will allow them to make local or long distance calls to anywhere. Net2Phone is one example, PennyTalk is another, my kids love RedCard, and there are many more. All that is required is for the FIBER OPTIC cable to be opened up for public use at wholesale rates. The government could then charge GST or whatever taxes on the sale of these phone cards. There is no reason why only ONE or TWO entitles should have a lock-down on the fiber optic cable. __________________________________________CONTRIBUTION:

"The PUP will open up the information super highway and allow the use of VOIP to spur innovation and development in I.C.T. BTL will offer high speed internet 1meg for $30 per month. Call Centres will be supported with training and infrastructure facilitation" - PUP Manifesto. (Now this is WAY better than the UDP's version, but it still does not go far enough. Free the fiber optic cable and free the internet. Belizeans should be able to compete in the 22nd century, and to stifle the internet is not the way to do it. Much more good can come from freeing the net. We could develop our own software programmers and offshore consultants and software engineers. I dare say, with free and affordable internet, and an enabling entrepreneurial environment, many new businesses would come calling. Not just call centers, but many others such as video game developers, software developers, etc. Technology is the future. Japan knows this and they have the best and cheapest internet on planet Earth. There is a reason why the population is technologically advanced.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Caye Caulker, Belize. The site for a Central American world shaking conference on the BELIZE BONDS ISSUE. Don´t think too hard though, life still has to be lived and enjoyed here in PARADISE.

BELIZE CIVIL SOCIETY DISCUSSES DEBT RESTRUCTURING IDEAS FOR NEXT DICTATOR OF BELIZE, ( election in two weeks ) FOR FIVE YEARS.

Iceland was held up as an example by a discussion group on Caye Caulker early this week, on debt restructuring. Iceland was pressured by the populace of that small country ( they stoned the HOUSE, where government ministers were meeting and wanted guilty banks to fail, during the last recession ). Iceland is doing well, with GROWTH expected at 2.7 GDP this year, while the European Union has less than 1% GDP expected. In Belize we expect over 3.1s % GDP for comparison. Iceland let the banks FAIL during the recession and what they did, is took the BANKRUPT banks over and made them into STATE BANKS. They then seperated the savings accounts of all ICELANDIC citizens, from the rest of the tangled mess in the bankrupt banks, and let FOREIGN DEBTS and CREDITORS go hang themselves in bankruptcy. The USA does something similar with Federal Bank Insurance. Icelanders kept their savings accounts now in the NEW State banks. Since all the failing banks were involved in the US DEBT SWAP real estate debacle, the mortgages were wiped out by the bankruptcy proceedings. Icelanders suddenly found they owned their houses, free and clear. Since then, the ECONOMY has boomed. Never been better, they say. One of the cute things they did was pass LEGISLATION, making it ILLEGAL for the ICELANDIC GOVERNMENT TO PAY ANY FOREIGN LOANS INTEREST, in FOREIGN EXCHANGE. Such interest payments on foreign loans had to have the interest paid and accepted in Icelandic KRONER. The local currency. This Belizean discussion group, wondered how that would help us in Belize? Well since our FOREIGN MUSA/FONSECA super bonds are in foreign currency and have to have their INTEREST PAYMENTS, paid in foreign currency. Such a law would change the dynamics of the MUSA SUPERBONDS, when the interest payments had to be paid in BELIZE CURRENCY instead, by law. Speculation in the discussion group, had it, that changing FOREIGN LOANS to interest payments in Belize Currency, would stimulate investment of a pile of millions in the hundreds of millions, into the country of Belize. As you cannot easily exchange Belize currency into foreign money. The other thing, was that FOREIGN LOAN AND BOND HOLDERS, would likely want to get rid of their BELIZE SUPERBONDS and the cascade of SELLING on the LUXEMBURG EXCHANGE, would enable the government of Belize to buy back the BONDS at pennies on the dollar. They are already trading less than .40 cents for the dollar. Some could be bought by Belizeans also on the Exchange and then the interest payments of those BONDS not bought by the Government of the DAY, in private Belizean sector hands, would undoubtedly boost the local economy, as private local investors ended up re-investing in Belize with their interest payments.

The President of Guatemala has suggested such ideas are wanted by the Central American union, to develop the economies of our linked seven countries. - think about it! -

Then you could concentrate on more pleasant things. Like this sunrise on Caye Caulker at 6 a.m. on a February morning in 2012. Caye Caulker mottos are GO SLOW. Or, NEVER DO TODAY, WHAT YOU CAN PUT OFF UNTIL TOMORROW.

RE VISITING MY HOME ISLAND OF CAYE CAULKER, during the Forest Fire season out West. Last year DRY SEASON I got Swollen painful face, in reaction to the forest fire smoke coming over the valley from the Belize Alps. So this year have located to my original home village of the island of Caye Caulker, for those four months.

Whole Caye Caulker Primary School meets hero SPELLING CHAMP as he returns home by boat from nearby San Pedro.Zone Spelling Bee held on island of San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, 15 miles away by sea inside the Great Coral Barrier Reef. Blayd Auxillou on extreme left of photo looking at it.

My Grandson Blayd Vernon Auxillou wins SPELLING BEE for our ZONE on nearby island of San Pedro, Ambergris Caye and gets hero´s school welcome on returning HOME to his island of Caye Caulker. Feb. 2012.

DEBATE IN BELIZE, IN BREAKING THE BACK OF THE MAFIA POLITICAL PARTIES 5 YEAR ELECTED DICTATORSHIP.

Arab countries in general are plagued with dictators, who use fear, terror, torture, rape and killing to stay in power. You can´t say Belizeans don´t have a choice this election. They can break the cycle by voting for any INDEPENDENT, to transfer policy decisions to the HOUSE PARLIAMENT, in a debate in a FREE and TRANSPARENT manner. Using consensus, votes and compromise to make policy decisions and on how we spend our own money. Or they can vote either the PUP, or UDP back into office and get a mafia gang, holding cabinet secret meetings and watching each other members backs, on their scams and deals of self enrichment.

From: Charlie Trew To: Belize Culture Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2012 3:09 PMSubject: Re: Bz-Culture: Index Of Criminal Countries Yes, of course. You should know Belize better than that. As you can see that list represents the current cream of the rogue's gallery of nations. All with leaderships that gained and/or maintained power through fraud and in a number of cases outright crimes against humanity. Notice the entire roster of remaining Commie countries and their wannabe kiddie emulators in Central and South America as well. These countries also are the most shrill with "hate America" rhetoric and actually band together as an anti-U.S. block in various programs. That's one of the few reasons they garner support and their criminal deeds get glossed over and ignored by the international community. They stand up to the Great Satan so they get a free ride. From: Tc Vernon To: Charlie Trew Cc: Belize Culture Sent: Monday, February 20, 2012 5:51 AMSubject: Re: Bz-Culture: Index Of Criminal CountriesHow did Belize vote?

On Fri, Feb 17, 2012 at 12:55 PM, Charlie Trew wrote:

As UN Chief Ban noted Syria is using hospitals as torture centers and firing indiscriminately at civilians. The UN just took a vote to condemn these crimes against humanity. The vote was 138 for and 12 against, with 17 abstaining. Abstaining is bad enough but some countries like Lebanon are in a tough spot being on the border. But to vote against this measure could only be done by a country that itself is ruled by a criminal government. Let's take a look at the countries that currently represent and support the focus of evil in the modern world: NO - Belarus NO- Bolivia NO- China NO- Cuba NO- DPR Korea (North Korea) NO- Ecuador NO-Iran NO-Nicaragua NO-Russian Federation NO-Syria NO-Venezuela NO-Zimbabwe By the way, the Russian Federation continues to supply Syria with weapons and yesterday, with U.S. actor Sean Penn standing at his side, Hugo Chavez bragged that he just sent $50 million USD worth of diesel fuel to Syria. Shame!

Monday, February 20, 2012

The SEVEN COUNTRIES of Central America are using public think tank contributions, to develop the seven countries economically.

Among those suggestions are a TOLL highway of 4 lanes, two in each direction. A six lane highway interconnecting the seven countries, on the style of the USA FREEWAY system and that of Canada. With three lanes in each direction and rest stops.

Among the advantages are commerce and intransit in-bond goods from one country, or any country in the region, in sealed bonded 18 wheeler tractor trailers.

One of the by-products is the intended decriminalization of drugs. Particularly marijuana. At any rate, the idea put forward by both the President of Mexico and Guatemala is to allow sealed intransit in-bond freight to pass through Central America, with no questions asked, about the contents. Airports can also be intransit with in-bond warehouses controlled by CUSTOMS. One of the spinoffs, is expected to be a reduction in crime created by drug violence. Let the USA fund and fight it´s own consumer war is the HOPE. The small Central American countries can no longer afford to fight this USA war, created by the USA criminal apparatus and drug habits.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

WORLD FAMOUS RUTA MAYA CANOE RACE. 200 MILES OF STIFF ENDURANCE AT 14 MPH PLUS, OVER THREE DAYS OF LEGS.ENDURANCE CANOE PADDLERS GETTING READY FOR FAMOUS WORLD CROSS COUNTRY RIVER PADDLING RACE. BELIZEAN TEAMS HAVE WHOPPED THEM FROM THE USA IN THE BIG TEXAS RIVER RACE. THE RUTA MAYA, IS THE BIG TIME, WORLDLY SPEAKING, FOR LONG DISTANCE CANOE RACING. IT INCLUDES THREE STAGES OVER THREE DAYS AND WINNERS MUST AVERAGE OVER 14 MPH ALL THE TIME TO GET IN THE WINNERS CIRCLE.

Friday, February 17, 2012

WORKING PARTNERSHIP FORMED BETWEEN INDIA EXPERTS AND BELIZE DOMAIN REGISTRY BUSINESS OPERATIONS.

Mumbai, India, February 17, 2012 --(PR.com (http://www.pr.com/))-- LogicBoxes, a Registrar software and consulting company, today announced that it has partnered with the .BZ Registry, University Management Ltd. to provide business automation solutions to its in-house Registrar arm, BelizeNic.

.BZ is the country code top-level domain for Belize. Prior to partnering with LogicBoxes, BelizeNic was using a legacy system to sell .BZ domains. The Registry was looking to migrate to a stable and flexible platform that would allow it to expand its product suite and deliver better customer experience.

LogicBoxes setup BelizeNic on its proprietary Registrar platform - OrderBox. Additionally, the migration and transition was completed by the LogicBoxes team without affecting existing customers.

Post migration, BelizeNic has inherited the ability to manage its customers and provide them with a more inclusive set of web services like Web & Email Hosting, Website Builders and Digital Certificates.

BelizeNic also has plans to target nearby territories in the coming months. To facilitate these future plans, they will be realizing localized sites, complete with country-specific currency and multi-lingual options with the OrderBox infrastructure.

As a growing trend, many Registries are establishing their own Registrar entity to tap into local markets. Often the first stop for customers looking to purchase domains in smaller ccTLD spaces, this model successfully serves the customer's best interest. It also gives the Registry greater control over marketing activities and complements the work done by foreign Registrars in creating awareness and increasing purchase channels.

"Initially we did have concerns about the transition but the LogicBoxes team quickly allayed them when they swung into action," says Juan Carlos Namis, General Manager, BelizeNic. "Thanks to this partnership, we now focus on more important business activities and leave the day-to-day tasks to be handled by the LogicBoxes platform automation."

"We're excited to be partnering with BelizeNic. We've spent a lot of development time creating a local' solution for Registries who want to take control of direct sales to customers. This has allowed us to partner with multiple ccTLDs across the world and we look forward to helping BelizeNic better serve their customers," said Sandeep Ramchandani, Director, LogicBoxes.

About University Management LTD:

University Management LTD (UMLTD) was founded on October 2000 in order to manage, market and promote the ".BZ" top-level domain name and Internet related services such as web hosting and specialized IT training. In collaboration with strategic partners, the company plans to offer internet solutions including domain name registration, web hosting, co-location servers, DNS services, POP/web-based e-mail and .BZ directory services to its customers. For more information, please visit: http://nic.bz.

About LogicBoxes:

LogicBoxes is a Web Products and Consulting Company that specializes in providing private labeled, web presence and communication applications to ICANN Registrars, Large Web Hosts, Domain Resellers, ISPs and Telcos. In addition, it also offers ICANN consulting and a turnkey SaaS platform which provides end-to-end business automation to clients. LogicBoxes currently powers over 6.5 Million domains through 90+ ICANN Accredited Registrars in 35+ countries. For additional information, please visit http://www.LogicBoxes.com.

UKAid from the Department of International Development (DFID), GVEP International, South Korea and the Inter-American Development Bank Click for Enhanced Coverage Linking Searches(IDB) have launched a contest to develop innovative ideas to improve energy efficiency and expand access to renewable energy in the Caribbean.

The contest, launched today with a regional marketing campaign What's your bright IDEA?, is intended to promote innovative solutions to energy problems that have local or regional benefits, provide jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Award winners will receive up to US$ 200,000, as well as technical and business development support to implement or scale up their ideas.

Individuals, enterprises and organizations based in the Caribbean are invited to submit proposals focusing on adoption, innovation, assimilation, development and transfer of technologies in renewable energy, energy efficiency, climate change mitigation and fossil fuel substitution by April 30, 2012. Applications should be submitted electronically - details and guidance are available atwww.iadb.org/ideas. Grant winners will be announced July 15, 2012.

'The Caribbean has great potential for economically and environmentally sustainable enterprises in renewable energy and energy efficiency,' said Simone Banister, Climate Change Adviser at DFID Caribbean. 'Simple innovations could have a dramatic effect on energies supplies, prices and the way businesses and markets operate in the region.'

Energy in the Caribbean is currently produced almost exclusively from imported fossil fuels, Banister explained. 'As a result, consumers are paying high prices for electricity, transport fuels and other forms of energy. So far, the use of alternative sources of energy, particularly renewables, has been limited. We're hoping to help change that.'

'Local innovation and the adaptation of existing technologies to local circumstances are key to boosting the competitive supply of renewable energy services and tackling environmental concerns'said Arnaldo Vieira de Carvalho, Lead Energy Specialist at the IDB.

What is IDEAS?

IDEAS is an Energy Innovation Contest to support the development of innovative projects promoting renewable energies, and improving energy efficiency. IDEAS was first launched in February 2009, with the support of the Inter-American Development Bank Click for Enhanced Coverage Linking Searches(IDB), the Government of Korea, non-governmental organization GVEP International and the German Technical Cooperation for Development (GIZ), and funded by the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ) and the Netherlands Directorate-General of Development Cooperation (DGIS). It received over 1,000 applications from 28 Latin America and Caribbean countries. A total of 26 winners were selected in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Saint Vincent and The Grenadines, and Saint Lucia.

A second phase of IDEAS was launched on September 15, 2011, in cooperation with the Mexican Secretariat of Energy with the support of the Sustainable Energy Fund (FSE), the IDB and the South Korean Government to promote innovation in sustainable energy. More than 700 applications were received from Latin America and the Caribbean, and 15 winners were selected from Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Mexico.

About the sponsors and implementing partners

The UK Department of International Development (DFID) will contribute GBP75m in UKaid to the Caribbean between 2011-15, supporting enterprise development, governance and security and action on climate change. DFID is providing a high proportion of the funding for this contest (equivalent to GBP GBP1.46 million).

The Global Village Energy Partnership (GVEP International) is a UK-based NGO that works with local businesses in developing countries to increase access to modern energy and to improve the quality of lives for thousands of people. DFID has chosen GVEP International as its implementing partner for IDEAS.

The Inter-American Development Bank Click for Enhanced Coverage Linking Searches(IDB) is the largest source of financing for development for Latin America and the Caribbean. Through its Sustainable Energy and Climate Change Initiative (SECCI), the IDB supports renewable energy and energy efficiency, biofuel development, carbon finance, and adaptation to climate change.

The South Korean Government supports Latin America and the Caribbean's efforts towards improving energy access, efficiency, and producing renewable energy, including through the 'Knowledge Partnership Korea Fund for Technology and Innovation' (KPKF) at the IDB.

Multiple sources have indicated that the Board of directors of the Belize Social Security Board has voted to terminate the services of Chief Executive Officer Merlene Bailey Martinez and internal Auditor Denise Mahler. The two senior executives of the SSB were place on suspension last month following allegations that they used privileged information to get staff to adjust their loans in order to take advantage of the government’s debt write off scheme for non-performing loans. An independent audit was carried out by the Panel Kerr Foster accounting firm, but the results of that audit have not been made public. Love News has been attempting to get information on the employment status of the suspended Martinez and Mahler; but we are told that the Chairman of SSB, attorney Lois Young is out of the country, and the acting CEO has been in meetings since yesterday. Multiple staff of Belize Social Security Board who contacted Love News indicates that a petition is being circulated for them to sign, claiming that they, the staff want the Board to reinstate Merlene Bailey Martinez and Denise Mahler. Today the Christian Workers Union which represents SSB workers issued a press release expressing dismay and dissatisfaction with the alleged move to reinstate the CEO and Internal Auditor. The CWU says it is categorically not in support of this effort and furthermore that it did not formulate and is not responsible for the circulation of any such letter. The CWU release also says that if the Board of Directors has decided to fire CEO Martinez and the internal auditor, then it should not interfere and just let it be. It ends by calling on all unionized SSB workers to refrain from signing any letter of petition calling for the reinstatement of Martinez and Mahler.

This coming Sunday, NICH and Kinich Ahau Art Committee will be holding another festival under the Maya 2012 calendar of activities. The Mayan temple of Altun Ha in the Village of Maskall is the venue to showcase the wood carving industry and the works of the carvers in the area. The artists will also participate in a live wood carving competition. Shari Williams, Press Officer of NICH says it’s an event for the entire family.

Shari Williams, Public Relations Officer, NICH

“The Kinich Ahau Art Festival is scheduled for Sunday the nineteenth in Altun Ha. The purpose behind it was to kinda reintroduce wood art as a viable creative art in Belize. For years, the artists of Altun Ha and Maskall Village Area have been creating masterpieces of wood art and so we felt that it was important to ad this as part of the Mayan calendar this year. this is the second event for the Mayan calendar this year. we are asking everybody to come out and to experience would art carving at its best. There is going to be a competition for wood carvers. And besides the competition we will have live performances, food music. So it is a day to really come out; bring out the entire family, relax and enjoy and see the artists at work in their natural environment creating these beautiful pieces of art.”

For those wishing to attend the festival, a bus leaves Pound Yard Bridge at ten-thirty a.m. and there will also be buses leaving from the villages of Maskal and Crooked Tree at nine-thirty

So! Friends of Belize is a foreign enterprise? Wonder what their agenda and motives are?

FOLLOW THE MONEY TRAIL! WHO IS PAYING FOR ALL THIS? WHY?

(From Channel 5 TV in Belize )Feb 16, 2012Friends of Belize Forum

Foreign direct investment has nosedived in the past years from one hundred and twenty million to thirty million dollars. This past Wednesday, a high level forum was held in Washington, DC, at the Rhaburn building of the US Capitol complex. The event attracted the participation of personalities from the state department, IMF, Heritage Foundation and business community. It is a first attempt by friends of Belize to propel the country’s profile to attract investment. News Five’s Marleni Cuellar reports.

Marleni Cuellar, Reporting

Economic and security stability were two major issues discussed at the forum. The keynote speaker for the event was Congressman Connie Mack, the chairman of the subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere. The congressman spoke about transnational crime and how it has become a threat to democracy.

Connie Mack

Congressman Connie Mack, Chairman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee

“There’s no doubt that the illegal trade, it is the drug trade that is now gone beyond just drugs, human trafficking, intellectual property. These organizations have evolved to the point where they no longer are interested in illegal drugs, but their organization has evolved. In Mexico, we are dealing with what I believe should be characterized for what it is. They are not just drug cartels, they are insurgents. When I say that I usual get some push back—a response that is negative. I actually think it is important that we can identify the organizations as to who they are so we can put the resources forward to try to stop them.”

According to the organizers, this event is a part of their continued efforts to improve Belize’s profile for investment in the United Sates.

Andrew Asher

Andrew Asher, Director, Friends of Belize

“This event is sort of a breakthrough in terms or Belize’s profile in Washington. It is safe to say that nothing like this has been attempted on behalf of Belizeans before and certainly not with the caliber of policy makers and intellectuals that you see before you. We at Friends of Belize hope that this event will catapulting this small unique country in the forefront of debate on regional issues and stimulating awareness of Belizean issues and viewpoints amid the various policy communities in Washington.”

Patrick Kilbride of the US Chamber of Commerce focused on investment. He says the number one issue for companies is Rule of Law. Through an initiative called Coalition for Rule of law and global markets they identified the 5 factors that are most important to promote and defend the rule of law.

Patrick Kilbride, Senior Director, US Chamber of Commerce

Patrick Kilbride

“We identified five factors that we believe are critical to the rule of law in global markets. Number one; transparency—the idea that laws and regulations applied to business should be readily accessible and understood. Number two; predictability—laws and regulations should be applied in a logical and consistent manner. Number three; stability—and this is an area where the business community I think is pushing the envelope a little bit. We want to see the state’s rationale for regulation of business to be cohesive over time. This is the idea that a new administration can’t come into office and radically change the foundation under which companies have been invested. And so we don’t want for instance retrospective or retroactive changes in tax policies. Number four; enforceability and accountability—that is government should be held to the same standards of accountability that the private sector is. And number five; due process—the idea that when disputes arise, as they inevitably do; that there is a fair and predetermined process for the resolution of those disputes—for instance, through binding international arbitration. And we believe that where these factors are present, investment thrives, economies grow, jobs are created and prosperity follows. Where they are absent, corrupt thrives, informality reigns, investment dollars flee and tax revenues plummet.”

Kevin Casas Zamora

The forum also focused on security issues in the region particularly the impacts of transnational crime. Policy expert of the public policy organization, Brookings Institute, Kevin Casas Zamora, referred to the situation as a drug trafficking tsunami with as much of eighty percent of the drugs entering the US being transported through this region.

Kevin Casas Zamora, Interim Director, Brookings Institute

“Very much as a result of this, and there are whole plethora of reasons; but the region has seen a spike in homicide rates gone up very sharply in the recent past and violent rates in general. Homicide rates particularly in the northern part of the Central America are literally the highest in the world. They have stabilized in the past couple of years in certain countries; not in others including Belize. In the case of Belize and very sadly, the homicide rate has skyrocketed in the past decade. It used to be about sixteen or seventeen murders per hundred thousand people in 2000. Now it’s over forty murders per hundred thousand persons which is really and in the very literal way among the worse rates that you can see in the world.”

Zamora gave new perspective as to why this region and Belize have been plagued by drug trafficking. He says it’s not only geography that makes us vulnerable.

Kevin Casas Zamora

“The fact that drug trafficking has become such a huge problem is not just connected to geography; there is more to it. Geography doesn’t help of course—being sandwiched between the big producers of cocaine and the big consumers of cocaine certainly doesn’t help—but it is also about the vulnerability of this country to organize crime for other reasons. These are countries that have extremely weak law enforcement institutions and extremely weak states in general. It is also about the lack of opportunities for young people in Central America. So there is a whole range of reasons that make these countries vulnerable to being prey of organized crim. It is not just about geography. In the case of Belize, it is a weak state because it is very small. It also happens to be in a bad neighborhood and as opposed to the islands in the Caribbean, it has to protect very porous borders—both on land and sea—and that is a big difference and if I understand correctly, the British government is scaling down their military presence. So it is weak, but not because it has chosen to be weak and that is my point. So to that extent, more than any other country in the region, Belize badly needs the support of the international community in this struggle.”

In looking forward, Congressman Connie Mack pointed toward what he called an all government approach to the transnational criminal insurgence.

Congressman Connie Mack

“We started off with the Merida initiative in Mexico. It was a good program; it did a lot of good, but it needs to evolve. We need to now move it to the next level which says that other than the equipment and the coordination that is happening with Mexico, we need to attack this on the financial side. We need to attack this with a whole host of other government relations that are not happening at this time.”

Other members of Friends of Belize, Lynn Young, former CEO of B.E.L, and past ambassadors to Belize: Robert Dieter & Phillip Priestley also addressed the forum.

THERE ARE TWO KEYS TO INCREASING TOURISM TAX REVENUES FOR GOVERNMENT. THE FIRST IS CONTINUOUS BUDGETED BEACH RECLAMATION ON CAYE CAULKER AND AMBERGRIS CAYE. EVENTUALLY CAYE CAULKER SHOULD HAVE A BEACH ALL THE WAY AROUND THE ISLAND PERIMETER. THE SECOND INFRA-STRUCTURE ITEM, IS A DOCK FOR CRUISE SHIPS AT PUNTA YCAICOS DOWN IN TOLEDO DISTRICT.

The Belize Tourism Board today announced the statistics for tourist arrivals in the fourth quarter of 2011 and the figures are record breaking for overnight visitors. There were a total of fifty-seven thousand, nine hundred and sixty-four overnight visitors, which reflects a six point five percent increase when compared to the same period in 2010. December’s twenty-six thousand nine hundred overnight tourists also made history. Arrivals via the Philip Goldson International airport were at a record high and for the most part, have shown a steady increase since 2008. In the fourth quarter of 2011, forty-two thousand and thirty-four airline visitors were recorded, an increase of nine percent compared to 2010. As for cruise ship arrivals, the figures were inconsistent throughout October, November and December 2011. In comparison to 2010, October saw a twenty-five point nine percent increase with thirty-nine, nine hundred and fifty-nine cruise visitors. November had a record high of ninety-two thousand, four hundred and sixteen, which is a thirty-two point one percent improvement. Meanwhile, December had a decline of eleven point five percent with ninety-six thousand, three hundred and sixty-seven. But according to the Minister of Tourism, Manuel Heredia, the industry has seen an overall increase in arrivals of almost twelve percent since 2008. He addressed the record breaking figures at a press conference in San Pedro today while the Belize Tourism Board’s Director of Quality Assurance, Laura Esquivel Frampton, spoke on the initiatives in place to keep arrivals on the increase.

Manuel Heredia

Manuel Heredia, Minister of Tourism

“For the first time in the history of Belize’s tourism, we have attained record overnight arrivals in three of the twelve months of last year; namely January, July and December of 2011. As a result of these top performing months, I am proud to say that 2011 will be recorded as only the second time in Belize’s history that we have exceeded two hundred and fifty thousand overnight arrivals.”

Laura Esquivel Frampton

Laura Esquivel Frampton, Director of Quality Assurance, B.T.B.

“The cruise sector has done very well for us even when our overnight sector was taking a dip. So we have the zone, we have to continue our negotiations with the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association and of course capacity building for our local stakeholders in the cruise sector. We are also working on—and there’s going to be training in March in cultural tourism for persons who are offering cultural tourism products, giving them training and also a small grants program that is coming through the IDB project and looking at health and safety standards and accompanying training throughout our sector. We also have to focus a lot on capacity building and training for our industry. We’ve revamped our tour guide certification course and should be giving that to the industry a little later this year so that we can begin new programs that focus on interpretive skills. Introduction of a new tour operator course; right now there is no course offered to persons who operate tours so we have created that groundwork and we are ready to roll out our first training in the summer. And we’re looking at quality enhancement training, customer service training; wait staff, bartending front desk and key to all of this is to get more trainers into the system.”

Tourism Minister, Manuel Heredia also announced at today’s press conference that starting early next year, Sunwing Airline of Canada will begin weekly direct flights to Belize.

IF THE UDP WIN THE ELECTION IN BELIZE, THERE WILL DEFINITELY BE DEBT RE-STRUCTURING IN THE WORKS SOMETIME THIS YEAR. RATE OF RETURN ON THE SO CALLED, LOCALLY BELIZE SUPERBONDS, ARE CURRENTLY RETURNING 23% TO BOND HOLDERS. LOOKING FORWARD THE BELIZE ECONOMY CANNOT SUSTAIN THE DEBT LOAD. ( over 80% of GDP ) THE COUNTRY WILL HAVE TO DO SOMETHING AND THE SUPERBONDS ARE THE BEST TARGET.

This year’s renewed euphoria over emerging markets has bypassed some places. One such corner is Belize, a country sandwiched between Mexico and Guatemala, which many fear is gearing up for a debt default. There is a chance this will happen as early as next week

Belize is a small country with just 330,000 people but back in 2007, it issued a $550 million bond on international markets. Known locally as a superbond for its large size (relative to the country’s economy), the issue earned Belize a spot on JP Morgan’s EMBI Global index of emerging market bonds.

As this index is used by 80 percent of fund managers who invest in emerging debt, many of them will have allocated some cash to hold the Belize bond in their portfolios. These folk will be waiting anxiously to see if Belize pays a $23 million coupon due on Feb. 20.

Never very liquid, the bond has taken a sharp lurch downwards since Feb.7 when Prime Minister Dean Barrow said in a pre-election speech that he would seek “instructions” from the electorate to “do something about the bond”. That unsurprisingly triggered panic selling and the bond now trades around 40 cents on the dollar, down some 20 cents since the start of February. The yield has risen sharply to 23 percent from 16 percent and and the Belize spread over U.S. Treasuries — the premium that investors demand to hold the bond — has blown out to almost 2000 basis points, higher than any other country in the EMBI Global index. That’s a rise of 400 bps since the day of Barrow’s speech.

Exotix, a frontier market-focused brokerage says:

What happens next? We think the government will pay the forthcoming 20 February coupon but clearly there is a risk that it won’t. But even if it does, that does not remove the uncertainty now hanging over the bond… The government has the money and it might be counterproductive politically to default just before a general election. However we do acknowledge that the bond’s domestic unpopularity and the low price make non-payment an easier option.

Regionally, there are some parallels with Ecuador which in 2008 defaulted on debt the government said had been contracted unlawfully by a previous administration. Investors pointed out at the time that Ecuador’s president Rafael Correa had the cash to pay but did not want to. If Belize misses the Monday coupon, it will not be for want of cash — the central bank has $240 million in its coffers.

Longer-term however, it looks unlikely that Belize can keep up with payments. The country has a clearly unsustainable debt-GDP ratio of over 80 percent. The bond’s structure means that coupons “step up” gradually and this year the annual coupon jumps to 8.5 percent from 6 percent. So debt service costs rise by over a third to $46.2 billion from this year, Exotix calculates. That will go up even further from 2019 when Belize must start paying back the principal of the debt rather than just the interest. So even if Barrow pays next week’s coupon, bondholders may do well to prepare for more such noise in future.

Only gamblers would hold the BELIZE Superbond. It´s a long shot and the meat is out of this issue.

HURRAH! GOOD AND BAD PEOPLE ARE RUNNING AS INDEPENDENTS. OLD CAMPAIGNERS ARE SAYING IN ORDER TO TAKE BACK THE COUNTRY, THE TAX REVENUES, AND OUR PATRIOTISM, WE NEED TO VOTE FOR THESE INDEPENDENTS. IT DOESN´T MATTER WHO REALLY? THE MORE THE MERRIER. AT LEAST WE JUST MIGHT GET OUR GOVERNMENT BACK INTO OUR CITIZENS HANDS IN THE HOUSE PARLIAMENT AND SENATE, TO DEFINE POLICIES AND SPENDING BY OPEN DEBATE IN A TRANSPARENT MANNER, WHERE YOU CAN COUNT THE VOTES. BY PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE, CONSENSUS, AND COMPROMISE. Instead of being ruled by the dictatorship of political party MAFIA GANGS and their SECRET CABINET MEETINGS for their own SELF ENRICHMENT AND raiding of our tax revenues. THROW THE UDP AND PUP GANGS OF THIEVES OUT AND VOTE FOR ANY, ANY AT ALL INDEPENDENT and be a patriot and take back our NATION.

Seasoned politician Fred Hunter Senior, who has served as a member of the House of Representatives under the leadership of the late George Cadle Price, has decided to toss his hat into the ring as an independent candidate for Belize Rural Central. Hunter, a resident of that constituency since the late 1940s, told News Five today that his return to electoral politics comes from seeing the plight of the people living in Rural Central. According to Hunter, neither of the two major political parties has been able to address the needs of constituents in rural Belize.

Fred Hunter Sr., Independent Candidate

“I serve the people man. George Price said to serve the people; god’s pikney. The poor, the widows and the offense dah god’s children. you hurt them, you in trouble. If you want god to smile on you, you help the ones who need the most help. The rich don’t need help. My motto is not that the rich should have less, but that the poor should have more. But when you get in there, you get lost, you get first; you noh in there for yourself. That’s why mi people in Rural North still love mi; anywhere I go they welcome me. I am not there; I retired. But the system has forced me to come out of retirement. I noh retired because I di work till I dead because I like mi cattle; I like farming. I am on the Belize Business Bureau—I’m the vice chairman of the industry. I am the treasurer for the Belize Livestock Association, the District one. When I was representative for the Rural North, I opened a meat shop for the Belize District Livestock Association. They called it Broadwater Park meat Shop right at the Farmer’s Market. When I lost, it broke up.”

OVERPRODUCTION OF AGRICULTURE PRODUCTS IN THE BELIZE PARADISE. What export markets for rice has BELTRAIDE FOUND? GIVE US A LIST SO WE CAN SEE IF YOU ARE WORKING YOUR JOBS IN THAT DEPARTMENT

-It is beginning to look, like there is NO CORDINATION between the Ministry of Agriculture, BELTRAIDE and the Foreign Ministery in solving Belize´s EXPORT PROBLEMS.

Cayo Buay see how our... Sergio Garcia 10:13pm Feb 14Cayo Buay see how our people think "Why is GOB blaming the farmers??? They should be proud of the production! The Min of Agriculture should have found markets in CARICOM!! Poor excuse!!

MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE RESPONDS TO ALLEGATIONSFebruary 14, 2012A press release from the Ministry of Agriculture issued this afternoon in direct response to the story said that the Toledo Agriculture Department has consistently supported rice farm...ers of that district in land preparation and harvesting through it machinery division. The official release says that for the crop year 2011, the department assisted in land preparation of six hundred acres and followed by assistance in harvesting the same amount of acreage. The Ministry of Agriculture release goes on to say that the Agriculture department provided machinery service to rice farmed based upon request; but that the Rice, Corn and Beans Association, headed by Dennis Usher did not make any such request for machinery service from the Agriculture Department for the last crop season. As for allegations that government failed the rice farmers, the Ministry of Agriculture puts the blame for any losses suffered by the producers squarely on their doorsteps, saying that it was the rice farmers who over produced and exceeded the national demand. Statistics provided in the official government response notes that the national demand for rice is approximately sixteen million pounds; but the rice farmers actually produced twenty seven million pounds of rice during the 2009-20010 crop year. That is a surplus of eleven million pounds of rice. A further break down provided by the Ministry of Agriculture asserts that the Blue Creek Rice Farmers produced seventy eight percent of the total production for 2009 and 66% of the total production for the year 2010.

Monday, February 13, 2012

LOCAL POLITICAL CONNECTED PERSONS ARE EXPORTING RAW ROSEWOOD FROM THE SOUTHERN TOLEDO FORESTS AND ARE RAPING AND STRIPPING THE ROSEWOOD TREES. CHINA IS THE BUYER. IN CHINA, TABLES, CHAIRS, BEDS MADE OF ROSEWOOD ARE STATUS SYMBOLS OF THE RICH AND THE DEMAND HAS RISEN FOR RAW MATERIALS. IN THE historical PAST, WE EXPORTED ALL OUR RESINOUS PINE TREE LUMBER, ALL OUR EXPENSIVE MAHOGANY LUMBER FOR MAKING VALUE ADDED PRODUCTS IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES FROM OUR RAW MATERIALS. THE SAME IS HAPPENING TO OUR ROSEWOOD, WHICH IS ALMOST ALL NEARLY GONE NOW. ATTEMPTS TO HALT THE EXPORT OF THE RAW MATERIAL UNDER THE UDP HAVE BEEN THWARTED, BY CRIMINAL POLICIES OF THEIR MAFIA GANG, POLITICAL PARTY, RUNNING THE GOVERNMENT AS A CABINET MAFIA SECRET GANG. Patriotic Belizeans need to vote for INDEPENDENTS and take back our government from the UDP and the PUP, so that policies are decided in the PARLIAMENT of Belize, by DEBATE, consensus, compromise, and voting in an OPEN and TRANSPARENT manner. The two criminal gangs of political parties use their control of the government in office to HOLD SECRET GANGLAND MEETINGS and decide to do things, to ENRICH their private party members, without a nationwide decision making process. PATRIOTIC BELIZEANS need to take back the government of Belize from the private gangs in government and put it in the HOUSE and PARLIAMENT where policies are not secretly done, to enrich gang member elected representatives.

Maya village leaders met at the weekend to discuss the current rosewood harvesting situation in the Toledo district.

Paul Mahung reporting...“The Saturday morning meeting in Punta Gorda was coordinated by the Toledo Alcaldes Association under the leadership of Chairman Alfonso Cal.

Alfonso Cal – Chairman“The objective of this meeting with alcaldes and village chairpersons, they are raising their concern that what is happening in the Toledo District. In the Toledo District with the rosewood you know that as a Maya people we always think of our future generation to come and now it is the awareness that we are trying to come together what can we do as a leader to try and correct the wrongdoing, how they were harvesting our rosewood because the rosewood is very important to us, it is indigenous because the Maya people use it and so we are collecting some ideas with our leaders, what can we do next."

The meeting also had the support and participation of Maya Leaders Alliance under the leadership of Chairman Ligorio Coy. MLA Chairman Coy also highlighted some of the major concerns brought up at the meeting.

Ligorio Coy – Chairman“There are some villages that are receiving recommendation from the Minister, I don’t know where but first of all I must say we had the alcalde and Chairman there to recommend these individuals that have interest in extracting rosewood so it has to come from the entire village.”

The attendance sheet indicated that those at the meeting were from 23 Mayan communities in Toledo and the 55 participants included Village Alcaldes, Mayan Village Council leaders as well as representatives of the Maya Leaders Alliance, Toledo District Association of Village Councils, TIDE, Satim and Xa'che.

RUMOR MILL, is warning that PM Barrow expects to be re-elected and while Belize can pay the escalating payments on the so called SUPER BOND for this year 2012. THAT IT IS IN THE CARDS THAT BONDHOLDERS WILL BE ASKED TO RE-STRUCTURE. FAILING THAT, AT SOME PÒINT PAYMENTS OTHERWISE WILL SIMPLY COLLAPSE. _____________________________________

QUOTE FROM bz-culture listserve debates

Prime Minister Barrow:

“When there is a downgrade to some extent it signals to the bond holdersthat they might want to start thinking of coming to terms with thegovernment since for their purposes, the intent of the downgrade is to showthat unless there is a restructuring of the super bond, Belize might wantto contemplate the option of saying either that it can’t pay or it won’tpay. I need to make clear that while the step up to the 8.5% occurs thisyear, in August, we have the monies to pay the February installment and wehave the monies to pay the August installment, there is no difficulty therebut I do want to say that as the analysis indicate, we will be talking tothe international community, talking to the bond holders to say that sooneror later there has to be a restructuring. If you think far ahead and youthink of 2019 when you begin to look at a principal repayment, it’ s notgoing to happen, it can’t happen...."

INTERNET GOSSIP IS TALKING ABOUT WHO RULES IN BELIZE. MISGUIDED BUREAUCRATS, OR THE SUPREME COURT.

Source unknown: But the tale rings with truth.

The night of February 8, five men searched in the darkness for Enrique Makin, the chairman of a Maya village. Four of them were from the Belizean government’s department of geology and petroleum; the other was the Mayan permitting officer of a US oil company struggling to conduct seismic testing on the village’s land. This was the day after Standard and Poor downgraded Belize’s credit ratings, citing the structural decline of the country’s oil industry. In the darkness the men couldn’t find Makin, so for now the standoff continues.

The government wants his signature for a letter the oil company composed, granting the right to operate seismic lines (corridors cleared through the rainforest along which explosives will be detonated to find oil) across the territory of the Q’eqchi’ Maya village of Conejo.

The Mayan rainforest initially looks like nature in its wild state -- long stretches of jungle interrupted by villages of palm thatch houses nestled among the trees or centered about a clearing decorated with hibiscus. But that first appearance is misleading: Land use is tightly controlled by the Maya with each village allotting areas for the sole use of each family to grow crops or to forest. Land is farmed through the milpa technique of rotating fields through the rainforest, allowing the trees and soil to regenerate. The borders of each village are also clearly defined, determining the hunting and fishing areas for each community.

Such regulations form part of Mayan customary law, historically overlooked by administrations, which saw only jungle and granted logging concessions to vast swathes of Toledo. A sustained campaign to secure control over their lands and resources resulted in the Belize Supreme Court granting these customary laws explicit legal recognition in 2007, initially for the two appellate villages of Conejo and Santa Cruz.

Twenty-two further Maya villages won legal recognition of their customary titles in 2010, with the chief justice ruling that “Maya customary land tenure exists in all the Maya villages in the Toledo Districts, and where it exists it gives rise to collective and individual property rights” under the Belizean constitution.

Until the government realizes these property rights through legislation (which is on hold while the government appeals the ruling), the government is barred from “issuing any concessions for resource exploitation, including concessions, permits or contracts authorizing logging, prospecting or exploration.”

But with government support the American oil company US Capital Energy is conducting seismic testing across a block of southern Toledo covering eight Mayan villages subject to the 2010 ruling. US Capital is backed by American oil investment company CHx whose director, Alex Cranberg, told me that “all of our activities are in accordance with Belize law and relevant Supreme Court rulings, and that the government of Belize agrees with this position.”

The village of Conejo is surrounded by the oil concession area but, with undisputed land title, its territory is not included in the permit and remains off limits to the company without the explicit consent of the villagers. The community cut a 15ft wide corridor around their land, through rainforests and mangrove swamps, to prevent the oil company claiming ignorance should they illegally operate on their land.

On 17 January villagers found a seismic trail cut across Conejo by US Capital. When it became a Belizean news story, the company claimed it had been cut by mistake.

In Conejo, I was guided through the rainforest to a creek where we selected one of the upturned Mayan canoes and paddled downstream. The seismic trail cuts across the lower reaches on each side, heavily flagged for seismic teams to recognize it, and planted at intervals with pegs for the burying of explosives.

Continuing downstream, we entered a lagoon and then a network of creeks that took us to the boundary cleared between Conejo and the neighbouring Q’eqchi’ Maya village of Sundaywood. The seismic trail cut across it less than a mile up the border from where we moored, running straight as a rule across both communities, the pegs placed close together. One can see it as a meeting between the two laws of southern Belize -- the law of the court system and the belief that extractive industries can offer a get-out-of-jail card to a perennially cash-strapped government.

Initially the oil company tried to persuade Conejo not to demand redress and to allow them to operate on the seismic line. Conejo’s Enrique Makin was invited to discuss matters with them on 28 January. I met him straight afterwards.

José María Martinez, the company’s manager of seismic operations, had warned him that lawyers should not be involved, and promised that the company would give Conejo the computer they promised in 2009. Martinez warned that if the community did not allow explosives to be buried and detonated along the seismic line, then the company would sack all twenty of Conejo’s villagers who were employed with the company.

Makin himself is one of those employees. I asked him how he responded: “I am here to face any threats. I am here to represent my community, not myself or my family. Tomorrow they might fire me. That’s OK, I don’t need their job.”

Makin had insisted that the village needed to decide its response collectively, with a lawyer present. While at work on 2 February, he was taken off a skiff taking company workers up the Sarstoon River and brought back to the oil company’s headquarters in the village of Barranco where the other Conejo workers had been assembled. He was then told during a phone call with Martinez, that the company was sacking all Conejo’s workers until they agreed a position on the oil company’s operations.

Conejo held its village meeting on Sunday 5 February, which is when US Capital Energy’s permitting officer, Martin Choco, demanded that the villagers sign a letter “or not get a job,” prompting the chairman, on the lawyer’s advice, to suspend the meeting. The letter made no mention of redress, condemned the leadership for exceeding their authority in writing a letter of objection to the company over the seismic trail, and granted US Capital Energy unrestricted access to operate seismic lines on the village’s territory.

US Capital’s Belize representative Alistair King told me on 7 February that the letter was “nothing to do with US Capital Energy,” but claimed it allowed the company to return to work the seismic trail this week. He also claimed that Conejo’s workforce had never been sacked in the first place.

But Conejo’s leadership is not sitting idly by; over 60% of the village’s adult population has signed a petition declaring they did not give their free, prior and informed consent to the oil company’s activities. For now the law of the courts is on their side, but that other law of southern Belize enjoys a sympathetic hearing from a desperate government. Whether explosives are now being buried along the seismic lines of Conejo will show, with utmost clarity, which law rules when oil is involved.

The Central America region is a mixed bag - whilst opportunities are on offer, the risks in some countries are prohibitive. Escalating violence and exposure to international instability makes the region a risky bet, especially considering the small scale of industries. However we do expect some sectors to provide attractive opportunities. The Panama Canal is creating a dynamic industry within Panama, with the country set to outperform in industry growth expectations over the medium term. It is also precipitating investment into transport infrastructue across the region. The power sector is the other major area for growth, with untapped renewable potential catching the attention of international developers.

Key Regional Themes:

Power: New electricity generating capacity is seeing sizable investment in Central America. Hydropower is the dominant source of electricity and will remain so given the number of projects in development across the region. Key hydropower projects include: the US$300mn Patuca III in Honduras, the US$700mn Tumarin project in Nicaragua, the Tres Ninas project in Guatemala, the 138MW Paz hydropower project in El Salvador and the 223MW Changuinola in Panama. In addition, the Central American Electrical Interconnection System (SIEPAC) is due to be completed in March 2012.

Renewables: Both wind and geothermal potential in the region are attracting investor interest given the untapped potential for both and the hope of reducing reliance on imported fuels. The completion of Gamesa and Iberdrola's 100MW Cerro de Hula Wind Farm in Honduras is one of the first of many projects planned in the region. El Salvador is hoping to start its first commercial wind farm in 2016/17 and Acciona is building a 49MW project in Costa Rica. Geothermal potential is also being explored, Panama has called for companies to register interest in geothermal concessions, and Ram Power has recently completed the first phase of expansion of its San Jacinto-Tizate geothermal plant, with Phase II expected soon.

Airports: Opportunities are anticipated in the region's airport sector. Honduras has announced a US$300mn plan to invest in five airports, and El Salvador, Nicaragua and Panama all have projects underway or in the pipeline.

Ports: Port infrastructure appears to be a priority area of investment across the region. The most important project is undoubtedly the expansion of the Panama Canal. The US$5.2bn project, to be completed in 2014, will significantly alter the regional trade and shipping dynamics. Other notable projects include the US$1bn Moin Container Terminal in Costa Rica, to be built and operated by APM Terminals, and the US$500mn plan for a port at Monkey Point in Nicaragua, for which Andrade Gutierrez was contracted for a feasibility study in August 2011.

Despite a number of opportunities across a variety of sectors, there are pertinent risks to investment which could be prohibitive in some countries.